Run the North | Golden Gophers football

[ShireNiner]

Minnesota defense dominates at the Coliseum, holding USC to 3 points before bringing in the third string


Gophers defense had 4 takeaways in the first half (ShireNiner PS5 images)

By: Bill Connelly | October 9, 2027
Writer, CFB/NFL

Los Angeles— Interception. Punt. Interception. Turnover on downs.

That was the opening script for the defending national champion USC Trojans on Saturday afternoon, an offensive disaster that didn't see a single first down until the first quarter clock hit zero. The No. 12 Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-1) hounded USC quarterback Bear Bachmeier from the opening snap, stifling the Trojans' high-octane attack in a gritty 35-14 road victory.

On a day when the Gopher offense struggled to find its rhythm, the defense put the team on its back. Bachmeier looked uncomfortable throughout, averaging a meager 4.9 yards per attempt and completing just 50% of his passes (25-for-50). In fact, the Trojans failed to even cross into Minnesota territory until late in the second half, well after the Gophers had begun subbing in their second string.

"Today was our day to win it," said linebacker Mitch Horan, who set the tone with the game’s first interception. "The offense has carried us in the past, but this time, we knew we had to step up. With the guys hurt on offense, more falls on our shoulders now."

While the final score suggests a comfortable win, the first half was a frantic, chippy affair. Despite the defensive dominance, Minnesota led just 14-3 at the break, largely due to a shaky return from AJ Brand. The junior signal-caller threw three interceptions in the first half alone, struggling to find his timing after a week off.

"I was trying to do too much," Brand admitted. "I was trying to make too many plays instead of just taking what the defense gave me. Luckily, our D stepped up because I cost us a ton of points today. It was chippy, a lot of bad feelings after that Championship loss last season. I’m just glad we got the win."

When the passing game faltered, the Gophers turned to the most reliable player on the team, Fame Ijeboi. The junior back was a touchdown machine, accounting for four total scores (three rushing, one receiving) and grinding out 106 hard-fought yards on the ground.

"It was a physical game," said Ijeboi, who took home Player of the Game honors. "Their defense is good; they kept AJ running a lot, so I just tried getting open and making plays. It didn't feel like a game where I had 100 yards. It was one of those games that felt close, but we were in control the whole way."

The victory is a massive statement for Minnesota, cementing them as a frontrunner to return to the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. While the conference schedule is only three games deep, the landscape has shifted violently. Both USC and Ohio State now sit with three losses, blowing the doors wide open for the Gophers and the rest of the Big Ten's upper crust.

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Scoring Summary
1st quarter
Fame Ijeboi, 3 Yd run, 10:04

2nd quarter
Fame Ijeboi, 6 Yd run, 1:39
Caden Chittenden, 28 Yd FG, 0:09

3rd quarter
Mac Markwayi, 28 Yd pass from AJ Brand, 9:02
Fame Ijeboi, 5 Yd pass from AJ Brand, 0:55

4th quarter
Fame Ijeboi, 1 Yd run, 10:34
Tyseer Denmar 11 Yd pass from Bear Bachmeier, 5:45
Antonio Babineaux 7 Yd pass from Bear Bachmeier, 2:15

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Soapys' Box Score

Passing
AJ Brand - 18/26, 161 yds, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
Bear Bachmeier - 25/50, 245 yds, 2 TDs, 3 INTs

Rushing
Fame Ijeboi - 20 atts, 106 yds, 3 TDs, 1 rec TD
Bryan Jackson - 3 atts, 4 yds

Receiving
Connor Malik - 4 rec, 49 yds
Mac Markway - 4 rec, 41 yds, 1 TD
Tyseer Denmark - 6 rec, 81 yds, 1 TD

Defense
Mitch Horan - 7 tlks, 1 TFL, 1 INT
Vernon Woodward III - 2 tlks, 1 DEFL, 1 INT
Evan Tolzein - 7 tlks, 1 TFL, 1 sack

Desman Stephens - 17 tlks, 4 TFL, 1 INT
Alexander Dennis - 12 tlks
Marquis Gallegos - 7 tlks, 2 INTs

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Bill Connelly is a writer for ShireNiner Nation covering post-game news for College Football and Premier League Soccer. He previously worked at ESPN covering College Football, Tennis, and Soccer.

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[ShireNiner]

Lincoln Riley is feeling the hot seat after is 3rd loss of the season (ShireNiner PS5 images)

Big Ten Week 6 Recap: Nebraska Stuns Columbus, Gophers Ground the Trojans

By: Pat Forde | October 10, 2027
Big Ten Senior Writer

Week 6 of the Big Ten season saw two of the traditional powerhouses lose again, in Ohio State and USC, the shock factor from week 2 now gone as fans are starting to realize these two are just not that good. Instead, the focus turns to teams that are surprisingly good in Michigan State, UCLA, Maryland, and Nebraska, all near the top of the standings.

Game of the Week: No. 25 Nebraska 28, No. 18 Ohio State 21
The "Sea of Red" moved from Lincoln to Columbus as the Huskers pulled off the upset of the year. Trailing by a touchdown entering the final frame, Nebraska (5-0) exploded for 14 unanswered points to stun the Buckeyes at the Horseshoe. Kalen DeBoer’s squad is starting to lean on Dylan Raiola (312 pass yards) and showing their potential as a team that can win the Big Ten.

The Lockdown: No. 8 Minnesota 35, USC 17
The defending champions are officially in a tailspin. Minnesota (5-1) traveled to the Coliseum and put on a defensive clinic, hounding Bear Bachmeier into four turnovers. Despite a shaky, three-interception return from AJ Brand, the Gophers leaned on Fame Ijeboi, who accounted for four total touchdowns to keep Minnesota firmly in the playoff conversation and put more pressure on Lincoln Riley. His National Championship last season is buying him more time but how much longer will USC stick with the visor-wearing coach?

The Survival: Wisconsin 44, Iowa 42 (OT)
In a classic rivalry that turned into an unexpected shootout, the Badgers outlasted the Hawkeyes in a game for the ages. After Iowa failed to convert their mandatory two-point attempt in overtime, Wisconsin's Jason Candle dialed up a creative misdirection play to secure the conversion and the win. Iowa (1-5) continues to play hard, but the inability to close out close games has their season on the brink.

Around the Conference
Michigan welcomes Marcus Freeman to the Big Ten - In a battle of blue bloods, the Wolverines (4-1) asserted their dominance with a 34-20 win in Happy Valley. Michigan’s defense stifled the Nittany Lions late, proving they are still the team to beat in the East.

Oregon Stays Perfect - The Ducks (5-0) showed no signs of a Friday slip-up, dismantling Purdue 49-28. Oregon’s offense leads the nation in points per game, and right now, no one in the Big Ten seems to have an answer for their speed.

Sparty keeps rolling - No. 22 Michigan State used a 13-point fourth quarter to overcome a sluggish start and beat Washington 34-27. The Huskies led at the half but were limited to 3 points in the final 30 minutes.


Big Ten Standings
4 Oregon 5-0 2-0 Kenny Dillingham
5 UCLA 6-0 3-0 Patrick Scully
6 Michigan 4-1 2-0 Steve Sarkisian
22 Michigan State 4-1 2-0 Chuck Martin
25 Nebraska 5-0 2-0 Kalen DeBoer
8 Minnesota 5-1 2-1 Mick Smith
17 Maryland 4-1 2-1 Brent Key
Indiana 4-2 2-1 James Franklin
18 Ohio State 2-3 1-1 Ryan Day
Penn State 4-1 1-1 Marcus Freeman
Wisconsin 4-3 2-2 Jason Candle
USC 3-3 2-3 Lincoln Riley
Washington 2-3 1-2 Jedd Fisch
Illinois 2-3 1-2 Bret Bielema
Northwestern 3-3 1-2 Sonny Cumbie
Iowa 1-5 0-4 Mick Cloud
Purdue 1-5 0-3 Butch Jones
Rutgers 1-5 0-3 Grego Schiano

What did you think of this story?

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Pat Forde is a senior writer for ShireNiner Network who covers Big Ten Football. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN, and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal.

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[ShireNiner]

Minnesota opponents are 33-35 this season with only two ranked opponents left to face (ShireNiner PS5 images.)

Bye Week Report: Looking ahead at the Gophers Schedule

By: Aiden “AJ” Wexler | October 14, 2027
Minnesota Golden Gopher Reporter

Minneapolis— Minnesota goes into the week 7 bye week with a 5-1 (2-1) record and is meeting expectations across the board for a team hoping to make it back to Indianapolis. Despite struggles at the quarterback position and leading the conference in giveaways, Minnesota is finding ways to win games and doing it with the emergence of a defense.

Minnesota’s defense is allowing 23.3 points per game, a significant improvement from the 34.5 points allowed in 2025 and the 28.5 points allowed last season. The biggest difference this season is the takeaways. The Gophers have 13 takeaways (9 interceptions), and four of those have come late in close games at pivotal moments.

Illinois transfer Vernon Woodward III has been the biggest factor at the back with four interceptions, two to clinch games the Gophers were leading late. The junior cornerback has 8 deflections, 1 forced fumble, 28 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 2 sacks this season. Along with Woodward, Mitch Horan continues to improve as the MIKE linebacker. The sophomore leader, along with fellow sophomore Ethan Stendal (currently hurt for 3 weeks), has led the Gophers to a league-leading 21 sacks.

On offense, AJ Brand has struggled with injuries and protecting the ball, giving it away 9 times this season. Freshman wideout Connor Malik has become the star everyone expected from a 5* recruit with 437 yards and 3 touchdowns already this season, despite the inconsistencies at QB.

But the main star has been Fame Ijeboi. After six games, Fame has 578 yards (6.4 avg) with 6 touchdowns. It is a long way from the years of Darius Taylor and AJ Turner, but the junior has continued to produce with limited carries this season.

Looking ahead, the Gophers have three big weeks before two should be wins to close out the season.

October 23 - vs Indiana (4-2) James Franklin has turned the Hoosiers around quicker than expected. While Indiana has not won against any top teams, they are winning games that many thought they would struggle in.

Oct 30 - at 25 Nebraska (5-0), the biggest surprise of the season (outside of Ohio State and USC struggles) has been the Cornhuskers. Kevin DeBoer has Dylan Raiola playing at the consistency needed of a top quarterback, averaging 40 points a game and over 420 yards of offense.

Nov 6 - at 17 Maryland (4-1), the Terps keep winning despite putting up less than impressive numbers. Ranked near the bottom in all offensive categories and the middle of the pack on defense, Brent Key continues to find a way.

Nov 13 - vs Washington (2-3), the Huskies beat Minnesota on the west coast last season; the Gophers will be looking to get one back at the Bank this time against a struggling Washington, which is allowing 30.4 points per game.

Nov 20 - vs Illinois (2-3), Bret Bielema might be coaching for his job at this point in the season. The Illini are averaging less than 300 yards of offense and less than 190 passing yards a game. This is a must-win for the Gophers.

Nov 27 - vs Wisconsin (4-3), a rival game that has been anything but since Mick Smith took over. The Gophers have made it a tradition to run up the score against Wisconsin, and it doesn't look like that will stop this season.

What did you think of this story?

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Aiden “AJ” Wexler is a writer for ShireNiner Nation covering Minnesota Gophers Football. He previously covered local high schools in the Minneapolis area. He is based in Minneapolis, MN. Follow AJ on Twitter @AidensFake.

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[ShireNiner]

Minnesota Recruiting Visits Scheduled

[The JZA]

Holding USC to just 3 points in the 1st three? That's heavy

Good work knocking that W out

[ShireNiner]

Holding USC to just 3 points in the 1st three? That's heavy

Good work knocking that W out

Bear might be the first QB I have faced in this game.

[redsox907]

even with the big win, Brand still struggling. That Nebraska matchup gonna be huge

[djp73]

nice convincing win over USC, looks like a bit of a tough stretch coming up

[ShireNiner]

even with the big win, Brand still struggling. That Nebraska matchup gonna be huge

At the start of the season, it looked like once we were past USC the schedule was cake. But now Nebraska looks like the best team we will face.

nice convincing win over USC, looks like a bit of a tough stretch coming up

Get by these 3 game’s and we are back to Indy.

[djp73]